1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a gas powered projection device for attachment to a fishing pole for projecting a hook through the air and associated attachment means for securing the projection device to any fishing pole in a manner designed to reduce the possibility that the hook will become entangled in the attachment means.
2. Background of the Invention
The present invention is a new kind of gas powered casting rod and attachment means. While gas powered casting rods are not new in the art, previous such rods have used a CO.sub.2 cartridge as the source of pressured gas. See Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,864,197, issued Dec. 16, 1968; Merz, U.S. Pat. No. 2,977,708, issued. Apr. 4, 1961; Barnes, U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,085, issued Feb. 26, 1985. Or gas powered harpoon guns have been adapted to be secured to a fishing rod as illustrated in Klein, U.S. Pat. No. 2,090,731, issued Aug. 24, 1937. Such harpoon guns may incorporate manual means for generating air pressure, however they have limited practical value for use with fishing rods for the elderly and handicap because such harpoon guns are heavy, cumbersome structures that extend the entire length of the fishing pole.
The present invention does not use a CO.sub.2 cartridge as a propellant or a cumbersome harpoon-type gun found in the prior art. Instead a manual pump action piston is used to build up the appropriate amount of pressure. As will be shown, this approach offers several advantages over the prior art in which CO.sub.2 cartridges are employed as a source-of propellant or in which harpoon-type guns were used.
Generally, gas powered casting rods are a valuable tool for persons that may not have the physical ability to cast a fishing line using conventional techniques. This is especially true for handicapped individuals, children, and the elderly. Gas powered rods are also valuable for anyone fishing on crowded piers or boats where there simply is not sufficient space to safely cast a fishing line using conventional techniques. Thus, dangerous accidents and tangled lines with other fisherman can be avoided by using a gas powered fishing rod under such physically restricted circumstances.
Considering the many advantages of gas powered fishing rods, it is unfortunate that they are not more popular. There relative unpopularity is at least partly because of several problems associated with conventional gas powered casting rods that employ CO.sub.2 cartridges. One of the most serious problems is that there is no way for the fisherman to adjust the range when casting. The CO.sub.2 cartridge propels the lure the maximum possible distance from the fisherman each time the lure is cast. This can be an especially serious problem when the fisherman wants to cast the line at a particular location that appears most promising for catching fish.
Additionally, the fisherman may not want to cast the maximum distance when fishing along a river, stream or pond where casting the maximum distance might tangle the line in reeds or other physical obstructions, or possibly even cast the line onto the opposite bank. While adjusting the angle at which the rod is positioned can effect the distance the lure or bait is projected, this can be a dangerous approach to overcoming the ranging problem because winds might blow the hook in unpredictable directions if the angle of the rod is too steep. To overcome this ranging problem, the present invention provides a manual pump action cylinder by which the fisherman can charge the rod with as much or as little gas pressure as required to project the lure the distance desired.
Moreover, the harpoon-type guns that have been attached to fishing rods in the prior art are not well suited to use by young children, the elderly, or the handicapped for several reasons. First, they are fairly large in that they extend the entire length of the fishing pole. Because of their size, harpoon-type guns attached to fishing rods are difficult to manipulate, which is an especially important factor for those persons with physical limitations that have the greatest need for such an invention. The size also contributes to their weight, which is a negative for the physically restricted persons mentioned above. The bulk of such prior art devices also makes them difficult to transport and store. As a consequence, the only practical alternative for physically restricted persons has been the use of a gas powered rod that employ CO.sub.2 cartridges, which has certain disadvantages that have been discussed.
The present invention overcomes these problems by providing a gas powered casting mechanism that is much more compact than that found in the prior art. This reduces the weight and bulk, thus making it much easier to manipulate, transport, and store than the harpoon-type guns found in the prior art.
The present invention is an improvement over the prior art for yet another reason. When a CO.sub.2 cartridge begins to run out of gas, the cartridge does not have the power to cast the lure as far. This can be annoying and a serious disadvantage if the loss in pressure begins to occur at a time when one has located a fish that is interested in the lure. By the time the fisherman has replaced the spent CO.sub.2 cartridge (assuming the fisherman has not run out of additional cartridges), the fish may be gone. The present invention is more reliable with respect to the consistency of the gas pressure because it eliminates the need for CO.sub.2 cartridges altogether and replaces it with a compact, easy to use mechanism that employs human power.
Furthermore, the present invention is more economical, safer, and more environmentally sound than the prior art. The present invention is more economical because it eliminates the need for the fisherman to buy CO.sub.2 cartridges. Moreover, for those fisherman who enjoy fishing in remote areas of the United States, replacement CO.sub.2 cartridges may not even be available. While the harpoon-type rod has been available to overcome these problems, it has not been favored for the reasons discussed above.
From the stand point of safety, the present invention is better than the prior art because the fisherman is not confronted with the dangers posed by the storage, loading, and unloading of highly pressurized CO.sub.2 cartridges. This is an important factor because children and amateurs are more likely to use gas powered casting rods than are professional fisherman and experienced sportsmen. Therefore, the dangers posed by CO.sub.2 cartridges are even more real in such inexperienced hands.
The present invention is also safer because of the configuration of the attachment means or rods used to secure the projection mechanism to the fishing pole. By reducing the size of the projection mechanism and positioning it to the rear of the fishing pole to be in reach of the user, the risk is present that the hook will become entangled in the attachment rods possibly causing injury if the projection mechanism is accidentally fired when the user is attempting to untangle the line. This risk has been greatly reduced by providing an attachment rod free zone in which the hook can dangle with reduced risk of entanglement with any attachment means.
Environmentally, the present invention is superior to the prior art because it eliminates the need to divert energy and natural resources to the production of CO.sub.2 cartridges and it eliminates the need to dispose of the depleted CO.sub.2 cartridges, which obviously do not biodegrade. The present invention also eliminates the danger that CO.sub.2 cartridges will be improperly disposed of within environmentally sensitive fishing areas.